In coordination with the Imam Ali Conference, Hartford Seminary will host an Inauguration Banquet for the Imam Ali Chair for Shi'i Studies and Dialogue among the Islamic Legal Schools on Jan. 22 at Hartford Seminary from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. This banquet will include invited guests who have been influential in the funding of this chair.

Hartford Seminary President Heidi Hadsell, Dr. Sayed Ammar Nakhjavani, the first occupant of the Imam Ali chair, and Dr. Mahmoud Ayoub and Syed Raza, who were instrumental in establishing the chair, will be speaking at the event.

The chair has been established:

To establish a voice in the academy for Shi'i Islam

To encourage dialogue among the diverse Islamic legal schools, including Shi'i and Sunni

We are most pleased that the endowment of this chair was made possible through numerous funding sources and was a community effort from its inception. The Seminary received no contributions from governments or countries, ensuring that the community that built this program will also nurture it to its full potential.

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